Folding egg-crate



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C. RATH.

` FOLDING EGG GGGG B. y A No. 585,534. Patented June 29,1897,

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CHARLES BATH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDING EGG-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentnNo. 58 5,584, dated J' une 29, 1897.

Application filed August 20, 1896. Serial No. 603,293. (No model.) l

To @ZZ 'LU/'1,0m it' may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES BATH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Egg-Crates, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention-relates to a new and useful improvement in folding crates, and has for its object to provide a device of this description which may be readily collapsed within a small space for its return to the point from which it was originally shipped or for storage, and which when adjusted for use will be as rigid as crates of the ordinary construction.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and cornbination of elements hereinafterset forth and then specifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains lnay understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction and operation in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificatiomin which- Figure 1 is a perspective of a crate built in accordance with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan View, the cover being removed; Fig. 3, a cross-section; Fig. 4, a perspective illustrating the position of the several parts of the crate when collapsed; and Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of the folded crate, showing the pasteboard cells used in packing eggs placed between the sections of the crate.

In carrying out this invention I provide the sides A and B and the end pieces C and D and hinge the same together by means of staples or screw-eyes E,secured upon the ends of both the sides and end pieces, and the passage of. wires F through said eyes, as clearly shown, and when the crate is to be used for packing eggs and the like a partition G is hinged to the sides by the screweyes II and pins I, passing therethrough, in order that the interior of the crate may be divided into two compartments adapted to receive the cells for the separation of the eggs. The bottom J is hinged to the side B by the double-jointed hinges K, in order that when the crate is adjusted for use said bottom may be drawn outward sufficiently to bring the hook L, carried thereby, into line with the outer surface of the side A for its engagement with the staple or screw-eye M, and this hook serves to secure the bottom in place and also to prevent the collapsing of the sides and ends, as hereinafter set forth It is obvious that any number of these hooks may be used, but I have here shown but one, as for ordinary purposes this is' sufficient.

The top N is hinged to the side A by the double-jointed hinges C in the same manner and for the same purpose as that just described in connection with the bottom, and the hook P, which is pivoted to said top, is adaptedto engage with the staple or screweye Q for the retention of said top in place, and, if found necessary, two or more of these hooks may be used.

From this description it will be seen that to collapse the crate into a small space it is only necessary` to disengage the hooks L and P from their staples, swing the top and bottom of the crate against the outer surfaces of their respective sides, when said sides and end pieces may be folded into the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and there secured by the rengagement of the hooks L and P with tliestaples S,but one of which is shown. When in this position, the several parts of the crate will be securely held and may be shipped by weight instead of bulk, as is usually the case, thereby greatly reducing the expense of such shipment. Since my improvement may be made of ordinary material, its cost will not exceed that of crates of the usual construction, and yet a great saving will be had by shippers of goods, in that a new crate will not have to be supplied for each shipmenu since after the crate has reached itsdestination and unpacked it may be reshipped at small expense, and when not in use the crates may be stored in large numbers, as they occupy but little space, and this is of great advantage in the return of crates after having been used.

When pasteboard cells T are used for the separation of the eggs packed within the crate, they may also be folded within the crate when the latter is being collapsed, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, thus permitting the return of the crate, with all of its fittings, for reuse.

While I have shown screw-eyes and Wires for pivoting the several parts of the crates to each other, it is obvious that the same results may be had by the use of fiat hinges or other Wel1-known devices.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is- A collapsible crate consisting of the two sides, ends having right angled grooves formed along the edges next to the sides, said grooves being on opposite faces of the ends, screw-eyes secured in the grooves of the ends also along the ends of the sides, Wire rods passed through the eyes of the adjacent edges, a top secured to one side by double-jointed hinges, a bottom similarly hinged to the opposite side, a hook carried by the outer edge 'of the top and an eye carried by one side to be engaged by said hook, the edge of said top being adapted to fit ush with the side and a subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES RATI-I. Witnesses:

. S. S. WILLIAMsoN,

F. MATTNER. 

